My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong As Expected

Page 308

"Then, let's think about it together."

Without a second thought, Yu Sheng blurted out this answer. I almost fainted.

"What 'everyone'... that kind of endless discussion will never lead to a conclusion. Let's first filter out what we need to do, and then discuss and compare them one by one—"

"But this would narrow our perspective. I think we should all work together to find a solution."

He interrupted me before I could finish. If I gave up then, the same thing would just happen again and again. So, I tried to refute him from another angle.

"But our time is already..."

"Yes, indeed. We also need to think together about how to allocate our time."

Isn't this just another example of the company holding meetings overtime to solve the overtime problem? I scratched my head, thinking about how to express myself in a way that Yu Sheng would understand correctly. Yu Sheng interpreted my behavior as anxiety and gave me a gentle smile.

"I know you're anxious. Let's work together and cover for each other."

He patted my shoulder with an exaggerated gesture to encourage me. Although his touch wasn't strong, my shoulder still slumped limply.

I have no way of communicating with this guy.

Let me repeat myself: there are always people who get along and people who don't, and Yu Sheng and I are definitely the two people who get along the least. However, this doesn't mean that everything is Yu Sheng's fault.

In many cases, pooling diverse opinions and perspectives to generate collective wisdom can indeed create truly outstanding results. However, this is ultimately different from my approach.

Mutual help and interdependence both require a time investment. I lack experience in this area, so I cannot understand Yu Sheng's approach.

I've made countless mistakes along the way. Maybe this time, I'll make another one too.

"...Alright. We'd better get to the meeting right away."

I forced back the questions in my mind and squeezed out this sentence.

"Then let's begin right now."

Yu Sheng ended the conversation and called a meeting with the people from Haibin Comprehensive High School.

× × ×

Today's meeting finally got to discuss some more specific details about the activities.

"Through previous brainstorming sessions, the entire event already has a grand design, so today we'll discuss the creative aspects."

Yu Sheng, seated in the chairman's seat, delivered the above remarks.

The members of the Seaside Comprehensive High School nodded in agreement.

Except for one person who stayed behind to look after the elementary school students making decorations, all the other students from Soubu High School were present.

The meeting finally moved forward and began to discuss the specific details of the activities.

After confirming that no one raised any objections, Yu Sheng lowered his voice and said to everyone:

"This is a zero-base topic, so everyone is welcome to speak freely."

Next, the Seaside High School team started raising their hands to propose a solution.

"Of course, we need something with a Christmas atmosphere!"

"So, we can't ignore the tradition part, right?"

"But shouldn't we be looking for activities suitable for high school students?"

People are gradually leaning towards abstract concepts again. This is bad; if this continues, it's like regressing to the previous brainstorming sessions.

Fortunately, Yu Sheng seemed to have noticed something as well. He nodded and told everyone:

"An activity that has a Christmas feel and is suitable for high school students, right? Do you have any examples?"

The people below started coming up with ideas one after another, as if playing an association game.

"A Christmas concert with a classical theme feels like it fits the standard for local events."

"It would be better to add some elements for young people; it could be changed to a band performance."

"Don't you think jazz would be more appropriate for the occasion?"

"Why don't we just borrow a pipe organ and have the choir sing?"

The students from the Seaside Comprehensive High School seemed very enthusiastic, speaking quite actively. Whenever one person had an idea, another would chime in with a new one, expanding the possibilities of the original opinion.

Thus, we have orchestral performances, ensembles, jazz concerts, choirs, dance, drama, gospel music, musicals, reading plays... the list goes on and on.

We also had the task of making minutes, so our hands were always busy copying.

This feels pretty good; it's as if the previous stalled meetings never existed.

When I noticed, the people from Soubu High School also started speaking up, offering several suggestions. Perhaps it was the atmosphere at the previous meetings that had deterred them from actively expressing their opinions.

I continued copying my notes.

After providing most of the feedback, I re-examined all the listed items and a thought began to form in my mind: "There's still a glimmer of hope." It seemed that we might be able to finalize the content today.

No sooner had she thought that than Yu Sheng uttered something astonishing.

"Okay. Now, let's begin the evaluation one by one."

What a joke! Is this some kind of Chiba joke? I looked at Tamaki and found him looking serious, with a hearty smile that seemed to be enjoying himself.

...You mean to evaluate each of the things you just mentioned one by one to determine whether they are feasible?

We simply don't have that kind of American time. With just over a week left until the event date, considering all the preparations, rehearsals, and coordination with relevant organizations, whatever the final program is, if we don't start working on it now, it might be too late.

"Wouldn't it be faster to just pick from there?"

I finally couldn't help but speak. Yu Sheng closed her eyes and slowly shook her head.

"Instead of immediately rejecting something, we should gather all opinions and design activities that everyone can accept."

"But……"

"These proposals are all very similar in nature, and there should be a way to address them all."

I continued to argue, but Yu Sheng did not back down.

As Yu Sheng said, considering compromise solutions is indeed a viable approach.

But is this really a good thing?

An unnatural feeling scraped against the lining of my stomach.

The meeting resumed before I could think of a way to refute it further.

The content of the subsequent meeting underwent a significant change.

"How about bringing together musical performances and holding a concert that includes various styles?"

"From a synergistic perspective, music and musicals seem to fit together better."

"How about we mix them all together and make a movie?"

Following Yu Sheng's advice, the seaside comprehensive high school considered various possible compromises. The focus of the meeting had shifted to "how to accommodate all opinions."

Offering opinions is a good thing, and we welcome enthusiastic participation.

I have no problem with brainstorming if I can get more ideas.

However, the meetings that have been going on for several days have been delayed in reaching a conclusion because no one has offered any objections.

The meeting, which had seemed to be on track, began to deviate again.

When I came to my senses, my hand, which had been busy copying, had already dangled under the table, and I could only silently watch this drama unfold.

The people opposite me were having a very lively discussion, and their expressions were completely different from mine.

They were all beaming with pride, their faces radiant with pride.

At that moment, I finally realized—

The group was immersed in the atmosphere of the moment. To be more precise, they were enjoying the process of "discussion."

They never intended to organize a successful Christmas event. Their real purpose was simply to satisfy their need for self-affirmation through the preparation process.

They are merely hypnotizing themselves into thinking they are working, in order to savor the sense of accomplishment that comes with their work, rather than actually intending to work.

They thought they were very capable, but in the end they accomplished nothing.

Ah...it's just like someone. Past failures are still vivid in my mind, and I suddenly feel restless and anxious.

They think they can do everything, but in reality they can't do anything.

It was clearly so blind.

× × ×

As a result, we made no progress until the last minute, and the conclusion had to be discussed another day.

The meeting concluded after everyone decided to first assess the feasibility of each suggestion and then discuss them together.

We had already let the elementary school students go home, and they were all packing their belongings and preparing to go home.

I said goodbye to the student council, led by Isshiki, and as I walked out of the Civic Hall and hopped on my bicycle, it dawned on me—

I'm so hungry... My mind completely went blank during the meeting, and I even forgot to eat the snacks on the table.

Although dinner is prepared at home, once I realize I'm hungry, it's quite difficult to endure. I might as well find something to eat on the street... After making the decision, I stopped my bicycle and sent a few words to Komachi on my phone, telling her that I wouldn't be home for dinner today.

Next, based on my current location and level of hunger, I assessed the best food for tonight. Some say, "When you're hungry, anything tastes good," but that's not true. For me, anything tastes good when someone else is treating. But right now, I don't have anyone willing to treat me, and I also have to consider my budget…

Since that's the case, let's have ramen.

Once the decision was made, I acted swiftly.

La la♪ La la la ramen♪ I hummed a melody similar to Nausicaä's Requiem, happily pedaling my bike and speeding towards the ramen shop.

Crossing the overpass and entering the area around Inage Station, after passing the transfer station in front of the station, I arrived at a bustling area lined with various restaurants, amusement parks, bowling alleys, and karaoke bars. My destination was just a short distance away, a left turn at the intersection ahead.

I stopped at the intersection and waited for the red light.

Just then, an unexpected figure came into view.

Wearing a sports shirt from Soubu High School, covered by a trench coat, and with a heavy scarf wrapped around his neck—that person was Totsuka.

Totsuka noticed me too, and with some difficulty, he put on his tennis bag and waved in this direction.

After the light turned green, he immediately checked to see if any cars were coming from the left or right, and then ran over.

"Hachiman!"

He called out my name, and a puff of white smoke came out of his mouth.

I was surprised to run into Totsuka here, and I raised my hand to say hello.

"Hi."

"Yeah, hi."

Totsuka probably felt embarrassed by this flirtatious greeting; he gave a shy smile and slightly raised his hand towards me. Ah, so comforting…

I rarely encounter Totsuka outside of school—correction, I rarely leave my house, so when this happens, I can't help but wonder if miracles and magic really exist (Note 29 is from the anime *Puella Magi Madoka Magica*).

However, this world has no miracles or magic. So, why is Totsuka here?

What are you doing here?

He pulled up the tennis bag on his back to show me.

"Tennis lesson just ended."

Then I remembered that Totsuka not only plays tennis in the school club, but also practices at an outside tennis studio. So, that tennis studio is in this area... Okay, I'll hang around here at this time from now on! But wait, if we bump into each other too often, Totsuka will get uncomfortable. Let's limit it to once a week.

After mentally outlining their weekly plans for the future, it was Totsuka's turn to ask:

"And what is Hachiman doing here? Your home isn't in this direction, is it?"

"Hmm, not in this direction. I was planning to have dinner here."

"That's it."

Totsuka nodded, "Hmm, hmm," then fell into a brief moment of thought. After a few seconds, he turned his head to one side and looked over with an uncertain gaze.

"Can... I go with you?"

"yeah?"

Faced with a problem I never even dreamed of, I froze for a moment and made a strange sound.

Totsuka clutched the scarf at his collar, fidgeting nervously as he awaited my reply.